The Federal High Court In Abuja has remanded Gloria Okolie, a 21-year-old young woman arrested and enslaved by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Imo State.
Despite the public outcries and clamour for her release, the police charged Okolie to the court for terrorism in a case, FHC/ABJ/CR/297/2021, with Federal Republic of Nigeria as the complainant and Emeoyiri Uzoma Benjamin and Okolie Glory as the defendants.
PHOTONEWS: Enslaved 21-year-old Glory Okolie Finally Arraigned For Terrorism Before Federal High Court Months After She Was Illegally Arrested By @PoliceNG ‘For Being Friends With IPOB Member’ And Turned Into A Slave In Police Custody pic.twitter.com/PWwDsWDPnR
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) November 9, 2021
According to court documents obtained by SaharaReporters, Emeoyiri was charged on count one to count eight while Okolie was charged on count nine to count 12. The duo were thereafter remanded by the court.
One of the counts read, “That you, Okolie Glory, female adult of Obor-Ofonumus community, Orlu Local Government Area, Imo State, sometime in 2021 at Amaifeke, Banana Junction, Orlu, in Imo State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court committed an act of terrorism by providing information to Emeoyiri Benjamin, a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra, a proscribed organisation in Nigeria on the presence of the police officers in the area in order to evade apprehension by the police and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 5 of the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act 2013.”
Another read that Okolie Glory “collected N200, 000from one Chinasa Nworu in furtherance of acts of terrorism” sometime in 2021.
Another count alleged that she collected N300, 000 from the same Chinasa Nworu in furtherance of acts of terrorism.
She was also accused of concealing “information about acts of terrorism which you know to be of material assistance in securing the apprehension of Emeoyiri Uzoma Benjamin, a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra, a proscribed organisation in Nigeria but failed to disclose such information to any law enforcement or security agency as soon as practicable”.
Charge Sheet by Sahara Reporters
SaharaReporters learnt that the matter was heard at Court 8 of the Federal High Court and Okolie had been remanded.
SaharaReporters had on August 24 reported that Okolie also sued Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
In a suit instituted at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, Okolie had sought her immediate and unconditional release from the custody of the police.
Joined in the second and fourth respondents – Baba and Malami in the suit were the Nigeria Police Force and Tunji Disu, IRT commander.
Okolie had asked the court to mandate the respondents to pay her the sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (One hundred billion Naira) as general and punitive damages separately for infringing on her rights.
“A DECLARATION of this honourable court, that the act of the Respondent in detaining the 1st applicant from the 13th June 2021 till date, without an order of any court permitting same, is a violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004,” the court document read.
“A DECLARATION of this honourable court, that the act of the Respondent in detaining the 1ST applicant from the 13th June 2021,and beyond 71 (seventy one) days till date ,without an order of any court permitting same, is a violation of the 1ST Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004
“A DECLARATION that the beating/slapping, torturing, physical assault and verbal/vulgar abuse of the Applicant by the 1st Respondent and the respondents IGP IRT officers, without the applicant committing any crime known to law whatsoever, is illegal, unconstitutional and amounts to a violation of the 1st Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.
“A DECLARATION that the usage of the Applicant by the respondent IGP IRT officers by sexually assaulting the 1st applicant, usage of the 1st applicant to wash the respondent officers clothes and usage of the applicant to cook for the respondents IGP IRT officers, even when the applicant was in the illegal custody of the respondent, and without the applicant committing any crime known to law whatsoever, is illegal, unconstitutional and amounts to a violation of the Applicant’s right to fair hearing and Personal Liberty as enshrined in Section 35 & 36 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and articles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter A9 LFN, 2004.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court restraining the Respondent to desist from engaging in untoward, violent and irrational conducts against the 1st Applicant.
“AN Order of this honourable court, granting bail to the 1st applicant on liberal terms to wit: unconditionally and conditionally pending the time the respondent deems it fit, to charge the 1st applicant to court in this regard.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court mandating the Respondent to pay the 1st Applicant the sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (One Hundred Billion Naira) as general and punitive damages separately for infringing on the rights of the 1st applicant.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court mandating the Respondent to pay the 1st Applicant the sum of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira) as punitive damages for its recklessness, bias, malice, failure to perform its statutory duty when the Respondents officers within his knowledge, wholly infringed on the fundamental rights of the 1st Applicant in this regard,” the court documents had read.
Thereafter there was a court order by the Federal High Court Abuja on Friday 27th August 2021.
The police had arrested Okolie for allegedly being friends with a suspected member of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
She was later transferred to Abuja, despite efforts by her family members to secure her release.
After 66 days in detention, the police, in a statement said she was arrested for alleged membership of IPOB and for working with one Benjamin Uzoma Emojiri to attack officers and stations in Imo.
Her detention stirred public outcry as many Nigerians, including civil society organisations, have called for her release.
In the enrolment order obtained by journalists, the case was instituted by the Inspector General of Police, the Commander, Police Intelligence Response Team (DCP Tunji Disu) and the Attorney General of the Federation.
The orders of the court presided over by Justice Sylvanus Chinedu Oriji were that “the Respondents (Police/FG) should charge the applicant (Gloria Okolie) to court on or before 31st August 2021 if they have any case against her.
“If the applicant is not charged to court as aforesaid, the respondents, especially the 1st, 2nd and 3rd, are ordered to release her on bail upon fulfillment of the following conditions.
“The applicant shall enter into a bond in the sum of N2,000,000 with one surety in like sum to report to the respondents whenever they are ready to charge her to court.
“The surety shall be a civil servant of at least grade level 12 in the federal civil service.”
